Celine Dion made a triumphant return Friday with a very public performance: closing out the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony from the Eiffel Tower. Nearly two years after revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis, Dion belted Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) as the finale of the roughly four-hour spectacle. Her appearance had been teased for weeks, but organizers and Dion’s representatives had refused to confirm whether she was performing. On a page dedicated to Dior’s contributions to the opening ceremony, the media guide referred to “a world star, for a purely grandiose, superbly scintillating finale.” Dion had been absent from the stage since 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of her tour to 2022. That tour was eventually suspended in the wake of her diagnosis.
Quick Read
- Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade
- By Mallika Sen, Associated Press
- Date: July 26, 2024
- Celine Dion performed at the Eiffel Tower to close out the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony.
- This was her first public performance since revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis nearly two years ago.
- Dion sang Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” as the finale of the four-hour event.
- Her appearance was highly anticipated, with organizers and her representatives keeping it under wraps until the performance.
- A Dior media guide hinted at the performance, referring to a “world star” for the ceremony’s finale.
- Dion had been off stage since 2020 due to the pandemic and her subsequent diagnosis, which affects her muscles and ability to perform.
- At the June premiere of the documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” she discussed the extensive therapy required for her comeback.
- She made a surprise appearance at the Grammy Awards in February, presenting the final award to a standing ovation.
- Dion wore a pearl outfit designed by Dior for the performance.
- Daphné Bürki, director of design and costume for the Paris organizing committee, noted Dion’s immediate acceptance of the performance invitation a year prior.
- Although Dion is French Canadian, she has a strong connection to France and the Olympics.
- Her first language is French, and she has been a significant figure in French-speaking music markets.
- Dion won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland with a French-language song and performed the theme song for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
- Dion’s song choice, “Hymne à l’amour,” written by Piaf for her lover, boxer Marcel Cerdan, who died in a plane crash, added a poignant sports connection to the performance.
The Associated Press has the story:
Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade
Newslooks- PARIS (AP) —
Celine Dion made a triumphant return Friday with a very public performance: closing out the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony from the Eiffel Tower. Nearly two years after revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis, Dion belted Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) as the finale of the roughly four-hour spectacle. Her appearance had been teased for weeks, but organizers and Dion’s representatives had refused to confirm whether she was performing. On a page dedicated to Dior’s contributions to the opening ceremony, the media guide referred to “a world star, for a purely grandiose, superbly scintillating finale.” Dion had been absent from the stage since 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of her tour to 2022. That tour was eventually suspended in the wake of her diagnosis.
The rare neurological disorder causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms, which were affecting Dion’s ability to walk and sing. In June, at the premiere of the documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” she told The Associated Press that returning required therapy, “physically, mentally, emotionally, vocally.” “So that’s why it takes a while. But absolutely why we’re doing this because I’m already a little bit back,” she said then. Even before the documentary’s release, Dion had taken steps toward a comeback. In February, she made another surprise appearance, at the Grammy Awards, where she presented the final award of the night to a standing ovation.
For Friday’s performance, Dion’s pearl outfit was indeed designed by Dior. Speaking on French television, the Paris organizing committee’s director of design and costume for ceremonies, Daphné Bürki, recalled Dion’s enthusiasm for the opportunity.
“When we called Celine Dion one year ago she said yes straight away,” Bürki said. Dion is not actually French — the French Canadian is from Quebec — but she has a strong connection to the country and the Olympics. Dion’s first language is French, and she has dominated the charts in France and other French-speaking countries. (She also won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with a French-language song … representing Switzerland.) And early in her English-language career — even before “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic” — she was tapped to perform “The Power of The Dream,” the theme song for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Dion’s song choice also evoked a sports connection: Piaf wrote it about her lover, boxer Marcel Cerdan. Cerdan died soon after she wrote the song, in a plane crash.
